Senior Engineer - AI Workflows
Senior Engineer · Senior · Full Time · Remote
Opens Xero's application page
Role
What you'll do.
Senior Engineer specializing in AI workflows at Xero's Internal AI Accelerator Squad, focused on designing and operationalizing agentic AI systems that automate complex enterprise workflows. You will embed within business teams to co-design intelligent automation solutions using large language models and enterprise integrations, establishing patterns and guardrails for AI-native operations across the global organization. This role requires production-grade experience with AI systems, cloud infrastructure, and the ability to translate business pain points into scalable technical solutions.
Responsibilities
- Design and Iterate on Agentic AI Systems: Lead the architectural design and continuous iteration of AI agents and workflow orchestrations leveraging advanced language models like Claude and Gemini, employing sophisticated prompt engineering and model configuration strategies to optimize agent behavior and reliability in production environments.
- Enterprise Platform Integration: Architect and implement robust integrations between AI systems and core enterprise applications including Salesforce, Workday, Slack, and NetSuite, ensuring seamless data flow, security compliance, and maintaining system reliability across distributed infrastructure.
- Build Reusable Automation Patterns: Develop and document standardized automation patterns, shared templates, and best-practice frameworks that empower non-technical and technical stakeholders across the business to deploy AI-driven solutions independently, democratizing access to intelligent automation capabilities.
- Establish Evaluation and Monitoring Frameworks: Design comprehensive evaluation metrics, monitoring dashboards, and performance tracking systems for AI workflows, implementing safety guardrails and blast radius controls to ensure reliability, auditability, and controlled degradation in production AI-native systems.
- Technical Leadership and Coaching: Act as a technical mentor and evangelist within business teams, elevating AI fluency across the organization through collaborative pairing sessions, technical workshops, clear documentation, and hands-on guidance on AI-driven solution design patterns.
- Forward-Deployed Problem Solving: Embed directly within various internal business teams to understand complex workflows, co-design solutions that remove manual toil, and drive end-to-end operationalization from discovery phase through production deployment, serving as a strategic technical partner.
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
Production Application Development
Demonstrated expertise building and operating production applications or automation systems, particularly with hands-on experience managing APIs, webhooks, cloud infrastructure, and designing systems for scale and reliability.
Large Language Model Systems
Proven experience delivering AI-driven solutions in production, including building agents, copilots, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, or other LLM applications using platforms like Claude, Gemini, or equivalent enterprise AI models.
Programming Languages
Proficiency in Python or TypeScript with demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable code, work with SDKs, manage asynchronous operations, and develop microservices or serverless architectures for AI workloads.
Enterprise Integration Architecture
Experience integrating with enterprise platforms (CRM, ERP, HCM, communication tools), designing secure data pipelines, managing authentication flows, and ensuring compliance with enterprise security and auditing requirements.
Systems Design and Security
Strong systems-thinking approach with capability to design AI systems emphasizing security, auditability, proper access controls, and controlled blast radius patterns to mitigate risks in autonomous agent deployments.
Education
Computer Science or Related Field
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating core computer science fundamentals and software development expertise.
Continuous Learning in AI/ML
Commitment to ongoing professional development in AI and machine learning, evidenced through courses, certifications, or self-directed learning in LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI systems design.
Experience
AI-Driven Solutions Delivery
Track record of shipping AI-driven products or features from concept through production, including experience with prompt engineering, model selection, and implementing evaluation frameworks to measure AI system performance.
Stakeholder Partnership
Demonstrated success partnering with non-technical stakeholders, translating business requirements and pain points into elegant technical solution designs, and communicating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Cloud Infrastructure Operations
Hands-on experience deploying and maintaining applications on cloud platforms, managing infrastructure as code, implementing monitoring and logging solutions, and optimizing for performance and cost efficiency.
Technical Mentorship
Track record of uplifting team capabilities through technical leadership, mentoring junior engineers, and driving adoption of new technologies or architectural patterns across teams.
Skills
Required
Python
Production-grade Python development for backend services, data processing, and AI system integration with proficiency in async programming and SDK usage.
TypeScript
Full-stack TypeScript development including type-safe API integrations, serverless functions, and real-time workflow orchestration in Node.js environments.
Large Language Models (Claude/Gemini)
Hands-on experience with Claude or Gemini APIs, prompt engineering, model selection, and building production systems that leverage LLM capabilities for automation and intelligence.
API Design and Integration
Expertise in designing RESTful and webhook-based integrations, managing authentication schemes (OAuth, API keys), error handling, and building robust data synchronization between systems.
Cloud Infrastructure
Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) for deploying AI workloads, managing databases, implementing monitoring, and designing scalable architectures.
Agentic AI Workflows
Experience designing and implementing autonomous AI agents with state management, tool integration, decision logic, and monitoring capabilities for enterprise use cases.
Preferred
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Nice to haveFamiliarity with Model Context Protocol for standardizing AI system integrations and enabling flexible tool composition across different LLM platforms and applications.
Anthropic Claude Ecosystem
Nice to haveDeep knowledge of Claude models, function calling, vision capabilities, and extended context windows for building sophisticated AI applications.
Salesforce/Workday Integration
Nice to havePrior experience integrating with major enterprise platforms like Salesforce or Workday, understanding their data models and API constraints.
Slack Bot Development
Nice to haveExperience building conversational interfaces and workflow automation through Slack apps, bolt frameworks, and interactive components.
RAG Systems
Nice to haveExperience implementing retrieval-augmented generation systems including vector databases, embedding models, and knowledge base construction for AI applications.
System Observability
Nice to haveProficiency implementing monitoring, logging, tracing, and alerting for complex distributed systems, including AI-specific metrics like inference latency and token utilization.
Workflow Orchestration
Nice to haveExperience with tools like Temporal, Airflow, or similar workflow orchestration platforms for managing complex multi-step automation sequences.
Agile Development Practices
Nice to haveExperience in rapid iteration cycles, rapid prototyping, and experimental development methodologies aligned with high-velocity team environments.
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Databases
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Base·CAD 180,000 – 210,000
Equity·Stock options
Benefits
Comprehensive Medical Coverage
Medical, dental, and vision insurance providing comprehensive healthcare coverage for you and your family, with competitive plan options and managed care networks.
Retirement Planning
401(k) matching program enabling tax-advantaged retirement savings with employer contribution matching to accelerate your long-term financial security.
Generous Time Off
21 days of paid time off annually plus wellbeing leave, volunteer leave, and paid parental leave supporting work-life balance and personal growth.
Equity Participation
Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) programs and performance-based equity incentives allowing you to share in Xero's success and build long-term wealth.
Flexible Work Arrangements
Hybrid work model with autonomy to work from home complemented by regular boost days in modern office spaces designed for collaboration and team connection.
Professional Development
Access to learning resources, technical conferences, and continuous education opportunities supporting career growth in emerging AI and cloud technologies.
Wellbeing Programs
Comprehensive wellbeing initiatives supporting physical, mental, and financial health including employee assistance programs and wellness resources.
Process
Interview steps.
- 01
Initial Screening
Conversation with recruiter to discuss your background, AI experience, and alignment with the Internal AI Accelerator Squad's mission of rapid experimentation and agentic AI implementation.
- 02
Technical Discussion
Deep dive with senior engineers on your production experience with AI systems, large language models, and enterprise integrations. Expect discussion of architectural decisions, system design tradeoffs, and real-world challenges you've solved.
- 03
System Design Assessment
Design exercise focused on architecting an agentic AI workflow that integrates with enterprise platforms. You'll walk through your approach to security, auditability, monitoring, and failure handling in production systems.
- 04
Coding Exercise
Practical coding assessment in Python or TypeScript demonstrating your ability to build AI integrations, handle API interactions, and write production-quality code with proper error handling and testing.
- 05
Stakeholder Alignment Interview
Conversation with business stakeholders and product owners to assess your ability to translate business pain points into elegant technical solutions and your communication style with non-technical partners.
- 06
Senior Leadership Discussion
Final conversation with leadership to discuss your vision for democratizing AI across the organization, your mentorship philosophy, and how you'd contribute to Xero's transformation into an AI-native company.
Full posting
Original listing.
The role / impact
As a Senior Engineer within the Internal AI Accelerator Squad, you will be at the forefront of Xero’s transformation into an AI-native company. You will act as a forward-deployed engineer, embedding yourself within various internal business teams to co-design and operationalise agentic AI workflows that remove manual toil and fundamentally reshape how our people work end-to-end.
Your impact extends beyond the code; you will lead the delivery of high-stakes AI agents from discovery to production, while acting as a technical partner and evangelist. By defining the patterns, guardrails, and tooling for intelligent automation, you will create the blueprint that enables the rest of Xero to harness the power of AI safely and effectively.
The team / how they connect
You will join a dedicated, high-velocity squad focused on boosting the adoption of agentic AI and intelligent automation across the global business. The team connects through a shared mission of rapid experimentation and "vibe-coding," working closely with product owners and SMEs to turn complex, messy workflows into elegant, automated solutions.
The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on
Designing and iterating on AI agents and workflow orchestrations using tools like Claude, Gemini, and MCP.
Integrating AI systems with core enterprise platforms including Salesforce, Workday, Slack, and NetSuite.
Developing reusable automation patterns and shared templates to be used by the business
Building evaluation and monitoring frameworks to measure performance and ensure the safety of AI-native workflows.
Where and how you can work
At Xero, we embrace a hybrid way of working that prioritises both flexibility and meaningful connection. You will have the autonomy to work from home, supported by regular boost days in our modern office spaces designed to foster collaboration, brainstorming, and team bonding.
Here are some of the things we are looking for
You bring a wealth of experience in building and operating applications or automations within production environments, particularly involving APIs and cloud infrastructure.
Your background includes hands-on delivery of AI-driven solutions such as agents, copilots, or RAG systems using LLMs like Claude or Gemini.
You possess proficiency in programming languages such as Python or TypeScript and feel comfortable navigating SDKs and webhooks.
A systems-thinking approach is part of your toolkit, allowing you to design agents with security, auditability, and controlled blast radius at the forefront.
You have a track record of partnering with non-technical stakeholders to translate business pain points into technical solution designs.
You are a natural coach who enjoys uplifting the AI fluency of those around you through pairing, workshops, and clear communication.
Compensation & Total Rewards
At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We don’t just hire for a role, we invest in people. We believe in a Total Package philosophy which means your value isn't just a single number on a paycheck. While base salary is a core component, we look at your compensation through a holistic lens that includes equity, performance incentives, and world-class benefits.
The expected base salary range for this role in:
CAD $180K – CAD $210K
Plus bonus and equity
Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role.
In addition to base pay, Xero’s roles are eligible for the following forms of variable compensation:
Variable Pay: Permanent employees are eligible to participate in our equity (RSU) programs. You may also be eligible for performance-based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on your role level, and company performance.
Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, and 21 days PTO. Xero also provides eligible employees with Wellbeing leave, volunteer leave, holidays, paid parental leave. Further information included on our Xero Perks page.
Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.
Redirects to Xero's application page.
Other roles
More at Xero.
Associate Security Engineer
Junior
Senior Mobile Engineer - React Native
Senior
Lead Engineer - AI Workflows
Lead
ENGINEERING MANAGER - SRE
Manager
Senior Security Engineer - Defence
Senior